“When was the last time you ate?” Wes moved closer, assuring himself she could see his expression.
She crunched her brows. “Same as you…lunch.”
“I’ll stay with them. Do your meeting, and then I’m feeding you,” he said.
“You don’t have to. I can live off the fat of the land for a bit, then I can grab a snack.” Eleanor ran her hands over the outline of her body.
“I’ll ignore thefat of the landcomment. Change, go to your meeting and meet me here.” His tone was clear.
Eleanor nodded.
Luke came up behind Wes. “She’s lovely. Poor lass doesn’t see it.”
Wes watched her. “I know.”What should I do about that?
* * *
Eleanor had time to shower and change before her meeting with staff. Ken was assigned as the therapy department’s direct supervisor. “How are the horses?” he inquired.
“Wes gave them a chance. They were badly neglected, and the mare is pregnant. We should know better in a few days if their little family can be saved.” Her forehead wrinkled.
“Family is very important to the Chases. They surround the company with staff who feel the same way.”
Eleanor looked over Ken’s head. “This program means a lot to all of you, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, serving abroad, we saw a lot of tragedy.”
“Troy. He suffered more than physical trauma,” she stated. “If he is ready, so am I.” Eleanor’s staff began to arrive. Why could she say that easily to Ken and not to Wes?
She sat in a chair in the front row as Ken welcomed the counselors. “Everyone have a good afternoon?” He was greeted with head nods.
One of the female therapists whispered, “Some of us are having a better time than others.”
Eleanor closed her eyes and swallowed hard. When her eyes opened, Ken was looking at her. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Clarke. I didn’t see who made that remark, but I’d love to hear about someone’s good time. As for me, not that I have a responsibility to say anything, but last night I was lucky enough to be granted the privilege to spend the night in a guestroom at Mr. Crockett’s home instead of a hospital bed. Mr. Clarke and Crockett, both paramedics, woke me up every two hours to make sure I wasn’t bleeding in the brain.
“This morning, Mr. Crockett offered to take me for a ride since the doctors ordered me not to ride myself, and because I wanted to see the grounds and not lose more time working the program. This afternoon, I went with him to pick up two severely malnourished horses. He asked me to come with him because of my expertise. Now, if we can stop being petty, I’d like to let Mr. Clarke continue. That is the last I will say on the subject. Mr. Clarke?”
Eleanor watched Ken scan the group with a frown. “I will not tell you how important this program is to us. But I will tell you, its success depends upon all of you working together. I am depending on that to happen. Because of the sensitive nature of what your patients will share with you, I remind you what is said is to be discussed only within the confines of your office space with other counselors. Nowhere else. No recordings. Session notes are to be written on our encrypted servers only.
“I also remind you, if you feel someone is suicidal or homicidal, you notify Eleanor and one of the senior staff immediately. You do not leave them. Each of your phones has an emergency alert button and a GPS. Sunday, the first group of sixteen veterans will arrive, along with their companions. Tomorrow, Ellie will receive the referrals and case files on your incoming patients. She will then make your assignments.”
“Who’s Ellie’s assistant?” Caroline Sequiera asked.
Ken’s expression pinched. “As soon as it is decided, you all will know. I can tell you this is not about competition. It is about choosing who is best for the position based on experience and personality. Ellie and our medical facility manager, Pete Walter, will make that decision. You all met him during orientation. Anyone who chooses to make it a competition may find themselves, at a minimum, at a disadvantage, and at most, without a job.”
Aaron Bain chewed his cheek. “Ellie, how are you going to make the assignments?”
“I plan on reading the files, and tomorrow at breakfast, I’d like to spend time with all of you. We can talk about our strengths and weaknesses. I believe we all have that self-awareness. Then I’ll revisit the files, and Thursday we can meet in our new offices to make it comfortable for us and our clients. I’d also like us to grow accustomed to the horses. By Thursday, they should be settled.”
“I saw a trailer come in a bit ago. They were the sick horses, right?” Reggie Wood asked.
“Yes. As I said, local animal control found two malnourished horses. I went with Mr. Crockett to pick them up,” Eleanor repeated.
When a few of the counselors mumbled, Ken sat on his hands. Eleanor was used to barn mentality; it didn’t matter their level of education. She blew out an exasperated breath. “Look, it’s been a long day for all of us. Let’s reconvene at breakfast. By then, you should be over your juvenile fun. We were all hired at the same time to work toward one goal, and that is to help groups of men and women have a better quality of life. I’m sure Mr. Clarke agrees.”
“I couldn’t have said it better. Goodnight, everyone.” Ken opened the door.
Brandon approached. “Ten percent rule, Ellie. See you tomorrow.”
“Have a good night.” Ellie packed up her papers.
“Ten percent rule?” Ken asked.
“Ten percent of any profession are idiots,” she sighed.
“That is true. I’ll walk you out.” Ken held the door for her and turned out the lights.
